Vertebrates and Invertebrates: Introduction to Vertebrates and Invertebrates
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Introduction to Vertebrates
Vertebrates are those animals, which comprise all species of animals within the subphylum Vertebrata.
They represent much of the phylum chordata.
They include groups such as:
Jawless fishes
Bony fishes
Tetrapod’s, which include amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
Jawed vertebrates, which include the cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and ratfish)

Introduction of Vertebrates
Characteristics of Vertebrates
All basal vertebrates breathe with gills.
The central nervous system of vertebrates is based on a hollow nerve cord running along the length of the animal.
The defining characteristic of a vertebrate is the vertebral column.
There is a notochord, which is present as an embryo in all humans and all other vertebrates.
The mouth is present at the anterior portion.
The alimentary canal ends in the anus.
Classification of Vertebrates

Classification of Vertebrates
Invertebrates
These animals neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a backbone or spine).
Apart from subphylum Vertebrate, it includes all animals.
Invertebrates are so many with different sizes and shapes.
These animals do not have a backbone.
Some of the examples of invertebrates include:
Arthropods (insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods)
Mollusks (chitons, snail, bivalves, squids, and octopuses)
Annelid (earthworms and leeches)

Animal: Invertebrates
Characteristics of Invertebrates
Invertebrate’s do not possess lungs and they respire through their skin.
They are heterotrophic since they cannot produce their own food.
In all the invertebrates, there may not be a spinal cord or vertebral column.
Kinds of Invertebrates

Ancestral Mollusc
Ancestral Mollusc

Ancestral Mollusc
Phylum Annelida

Phylum Annelida
FAQs
Q 1. What are the groups included in Vertebrates?
Answer:
Some of the groups included in vertebrates are:
i) Jawless fishes
ii) Bony fishes
iii) Tetrapod’s, which include amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals
iv) Jawed vertebrates, which include the cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, and ratfish)
Q 2. What is the classification of Vertebrates?
Answer:
There are seven classifications of Vertebrates:
i) Birds
ii) Mammals
iii) Reptiles
iv) Amphibians
v) Cartilaginous fishes